Mowilex's Green Milestone: Seven Years Carbon Neutral, Now Building a Solar Future

JAKARTA, Indonesia – December 29, 2025 – Indonesian paint manufacturer PT Mowilex Indonesia has solidified its position as a regional leader in corporate sustainability, marking its seventh consecutive year of certified carbon neutrality. The achievement, however, tells only part of the story. The company is now accelerating a strategic pivot from certification-led carbon accounting toward permanent, infrastructure-based emissions reduction, underscored by significant investments in on-site solar power at its core facilities.

Since first achieving carbon neutral certification in 2019 for its 2018 emissions, Mowilex has demonstrated a long-term, disciplined approach to environmental stewardship. This year's milestone reflects a mature strategy that has evolved from initial reporting to deep operational integration, setting a new benchmark for manufacturing in Southeast Asia.

A Disciplined Approach to Decarbonization

Mowilex’s claim is not a simple self-declaration. The company's carbon neutrality has been independently verified by SCS Global Services, a leading third-party certification body, ensuring its calculations and offsets meet rigorous international standards. To further enhance transparency and consistency, Mowilex has transitioned its entire carbon accounting framework to the ISO 14064 standard, a globally recognized benchmark for quantifying and reporting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

This framework requires a comprehensive inventory of all Scope 1 emissions (direct emissions from owned or controlled sources) and Scope 2 emissions (indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity). Crucially, it also includes significant, measurable elements of Scope 3, which encompasses all other indirect emissions that occur in a company’s value chain, such as those from raw materials and transportation. This comprehensive accounting has required progressively tighter operational controls and deeper engagement with suppliers.

The company's leadership emphasizes that this process has transformed its internal culture and strategic planning. "Over time, carbon management has moved from being a reporting exercise to something that directly informs how we plan energy use, manage operations, and prioritize investments," said Yossy Tresinya Prameswari, Chief Supply Chain Officer of Mowilex Indonesia. "That shift has been essential in making emissions reduction practical and repeatable, not just aspirational."

From Offsets to On-Site Power

The most significant evolution in Mowilex's strategy is its move to directly reduce its reliance on the grid through capital investments in renewable energy. With electricity representing approximately 71 percent of the company's total energy consumption, this area presented the most substantial opportunity for direct impact.

In 2025, the company completed a large-scale rooftop solar installation at its primary manufacturing facility in Cikande. This system is designed to reduce the plant's annual electricity consumption from the grid by up to 25 percent, directly cutting its largest source of Scope 2 emissions at the point of production. This follows earlier investments, including rooftop solar panels at its Jakarta headquarters, which have been supplying up to a quarter of that building's power needs since 2023.

While the company continues to ensure that any purchased electricity across its operations is matched with certified renewable energy sources, this pivot to on-site generation marks a philosophical shift. It moves the company from merely balancing its carbon ledger through offsets and certificates to permanently lowering its operational footprint through infrastructure. This strategy not only provides long-term energy security and hedges against rising electricity costs but also creates a tangible, verifiable reduction in emissions that is independent of external carbon markets.

Tackling the Full Emissions Spectrum

While many companies focus primarily on the more easily managed Scope 1 and 2 emissions, Mowilex has distinguished itself by confronting the complexities of Scope 3. These value chain emissions are notoriously difficult to measure and control, yet often constitute the largest portion of a manufacturer's carbon footprint.

"We cover all Scope 1 and 2 emissions, and we include the parts of Scope 3 we can credibly measure today," stated Niko Safavi, CEO of Mowilex Indonesia. "Scope 3 is the hardest part — anyone in manufacturing knows that — but ignoring it does not make it disappear. Real progress comes from execution and infrastructure, not certificates alone."

This commitment is visible in initiatives beyond energy. The company has actively transitioned from fuel-based equipment to electric alternatives powered by its renewable energy sources, reducing emissions from stationary combustion. Furthermore, its focus on product innovation, such as developing paints with recycled content, contributes to a circular economy model that reduces waste and the carbon footprint associated with virgin raw materials—a key component of Scope 3.

Setting an Industry Benchmark

Mowilex's seven-year track record and infrastructure investments place it at the forefront of the coatings industry, particularly when benchmarked against its peers. While global giants like AkzoNobel and PPG have set ambitious, science-based targets for future emissions reductions, Mowilex's distinction lies in its long and consistent history of achieved and verified carbon neutrality, establishing it as a trailblazer in an emerging market.

This sustained commitment has not gone unnoticed. For the fourth consecutive year in 2025, Mowilex was named one of Indonesia's Best Managed Companies by Deloitte, achieving the prestigious Gold Standard status. The award evaluates companies on strategy, innovation, culture, and governance, with Deloitte specifically citing Mowilex’s robust ESG strategy and sustainability efforts as a key factor in its success. This external validation reinforces the connection between strong environmental governance and overall business excellence, making a compelling case for investors and partners.

As a company that pioneered water-based paints in Indonesia in the 1970s, Mowilex continues to build on its legacy of innovation. By proving that deep decarbonization is not only possible but operationally sound for a manufacturer in the region, it is creating a blueprint for others to follow, demonstrating that true environmental leadership is built on tangible action and long-term commitment.